Publication Date: April 1, 2025
So, what’s a nice girl from a good family doing in a place like the Bronx House of Detention? Like many immigrants who flee persecution, when the Rosens escaped the Nazis they thought life in America would be perfect. And for a while it was. Men developed successful businesses, a mink stole hung in every hall closet, overly abundant high-carb food graced all tables and grandma preserved traditions while finishing her weekly bottle of whiskey. But then cracks appeared–a teenager pushed boundaries so far that the police became part of the family story, an in-law loudly mourned the loss of status he had in their village and a woman with stricter beliefs married into the family causing catastrophic rifts. Despite the ever-present shadow of the Holocaust there’s frequent humor. People who eat frozen, pre-packaged bagels are condemned, Cossacks who once incinerated towns are now Bar Mitzvah waiters carrying flaming cherries jubilee, the chippie dating the synagogue president carries a bejeweled poodle-shaped purse that barks in French and no one understands how WASPs can wear leather loafers without socks. This book has enough twists, turns and turmoil to make anyone, immigrant or Mayflower descendant, cry, Oy Vey!
Trying to maintain family traditions proves to be a challenge for a Jewish clan with memories of the past never far away.
For the extended Rosen family, life in the upper middle class in the Bronx meant listening to the elders. When a tragedy befalls one of the core families, it creates a ripple effect for the entire clan.
Author Jean Ende focuses on the messiness of family relationships in Houses of Detention She introduces the three couples making up the Rosen clan, noting the closely woven relationships.
What is a traditional family to do when a teenager misbehaves, especially a female in the 1950s? While some people tend to suppress their grief, others undergo behavior changes.
The relationship between cousins Rebecca and Sarah serves as an essential touchpoint in the story. While Sarah idolizes her older cousin, she doesn’t seem to fully understand why Rebecca is sent away to a treatment center.
Spanning multiple decades, the story focuses on both the trials and tribulations of the family, along with the repercussions of various choices along the way.
Houses of Detention spotlights a family of immigrants seeking to navigate the challenges of changing traditions for the next generation.
Jean Ende is a native NYer who is trying to exorcise her background by writing fiction influenced by her Jewish family in the Bronx, NY. Jean is a former reporter for daily newspapers, commercial bank VP and college marketing professor. Jean has had two dozen short stories published in print and online magazines and anthologies in the US and England and her work has been recognized by major literary competitions. This is her first novel. Jean and her dog now live in Brooklyn which is a foreign country to anyone from the Bronx.
